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Air conditioning products are widely used for conditioning the environment in enclosed areas. For example, room air conditioning products are used for cooling, and in some cases for heating, various enclosed areas such as rooms in a home and the like. Selection of a proper room air conditioning product for a particular intended use should take into account a number of factors related to the intended use location or environment. Unfortunately, consumers frequently select an air conditioning product without considering such factors.
One important characteristic of different air conditioning products is cooling and/or heating capacity. This capacity is typically measured in British Thermal Units or BTUs. A BTU is the amount or quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 lb. of water by 1° F. As it applies to an air conditioning product, this product can be described as having a capacity in terms of BTUs output per hour.
An air conditioning unit should be selected to have a BTU capacity appropriate for the environment in which it will be used. An air conditioning unit having a BTU capacity lower than is required for cooling a particular space and environment would run continuously and would not adequately cool the room. Conversely, an air conditioning product that has a BTU capacity higher than is required will cycle on and off frequently and will not properly dehumidify the environment of use.
A wide variety of different factors to consider when selecting a product having the appropriate capacity are known to the skilled technician in the air conditioning industry. However, such a technician may not routinely be available to a consumer selecting an air conditioning product. Thus, the need exists for an improved system and method by which consumers can select an appropriate air conditioning product for their intended use.
It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide such a system and method.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system and method for assisting a consumer in selecting an air conditioning product which is interactive and available on-line or by Internet.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear hereinbelow.